Marganai forest (Italy)
The Marganai forest is located in South Western Sardinia (Italy). It includes five main forest management units managed by the Regional Agency Forestas (Margani, Gutturu Pala, Monte Argentu, Portixeddu-Planedda and Nuraxifigus-Funtanamare). The forest covers an area of about 3650 hectares, within the municipalities of Domusnovas, Iglesias and Fluminimaggiore.
The state-owned forest of Marganai consists of a single body, while the Gutturu Pala one includes a main block (bordering the northern portion of the Marganai forest) and a small body located to the west of the central part of the aforementioned forest. The geomorphology of the area is characterized by an alternation of rugged mountain ranges separated by narrow valleys, crossed by non-perennial watercourses. The vegetation is mainly represented by Mediterranean scrubland which characterises areas with a high protective function. The woodlands are dominated by Quercus ilex which is often accompanied by sclerophyllous trees and shrubs, such as Arbutus Unedo, Phillyrea Latifolia and Erica Arborea, and Quercus suber particularly in the Iglesiente and Fluminese areas. In the North Eastern area of the Marganai forest there are coniferous reforestations which were carried out in the 1980s for experimentation purposes. Historical data of temperature and rainfall are available since 1922 at 1 day resolution, while runoff for the Fluminimaggiore basin (area of 83 km2) is available since 1925. The site is monitored by UNICA since December 2021 and the instrumentation include a micrometeorological tower.
